After playing fellow District 12 residents inThe Hunger Games,Woody Harrelson and Liam Hemsworth have reunited for Kieran Darcy-Smiths bloody Western, and this time, instead of fighting against the oppressive Capitol, theyre facing off against each other.
On one side, we have Harrelson as Abraham, a magnetic (and thoroughly creepy) preacher whos set up a small town near the Texas-Mexico border.
On the other, we have Hemsworth as David, a bland Texas ranger tasked with investigating the dead bodies that keep showing up in the river nearby.
Credit: Lionsgate
Most of the bodies are Mexican, and when the niece of a Mexican military general goes missing, the Texan governors office sends David to investigate the mysterious preacher and take a stab at prevent an all-out war from breaking out between the two countries.
Oh, and as an added wrinkle, Abraham happens to be the man who killed Davids father two decades ago.
So, David saddles up and heads toward the border, with vengeance on his mind and his wife Marisol (Alice Braga) in tow.
We soon learn their marriage is a rocky one, as Marisol was promised to David in return for saving her fathers life.
She threatens to run away if he leaves her behind, but still, its probably not the best idea to bring along your Mexican wife when youre investigating a series of murders all targeting Mexicans.
Once the pair arrives, posing as travelers, Abraham welcomes them with open arms, leering at Marisol and immediately appointing David as sheriff of the town, which is a completely normal thing to do with strangers youve just met.
From the outset, everything about Abrahams little homestead feels off, whether its the cult-like snake-handling in the local church or the random British and Chinese travelers who keep passing through.
It doesnt take a genius to figure out that something very strange is going on in town, but just to drive the point home, the saloons resident hooker with a heart of gold informs David that yes, something very strange is going on in town.
The plot may be fairly predictable, but Harrelson goes all in as the deranged preacher, and hes a delight to watch, whether hes wiggling his eyebrow tattoos or prancing about town on horseback, dressed in an all-white suit.
Hemsworth, on the other hand, remains monotone, even when unearthing the towns deadly secrets (which, once uncovered, turn this Western into more of a horror flick).
It should be fascinating to watch as the towns secret horrors transform David into a morally loose and bloodthirsty ranger, questing for vengeance.
Instead, Hemsworths emotionless performance (and a murky subplot about his wifes inexplicable descent into madness) mean that this scattershot Western misses its mark.C
